You have met every challenge this country has faced and you have done it in every generation with such extraordinary bravery and skill.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have never, never, never in the history of America asked so much of a generation. And you have met it with incredible pride.

I have no illusions about what we`re up against or how hard the task is in front of us, but I also have never seen the nation`s conscience so shaken by what happened in Sandy Hook. The world has changed and it`s demanding action.

I'm proud to be president of the United States. But I'm prouder to be (INAUDIBLE).

I know we don't have absolute unanimity in this -- in this ballroom nor do we in any ballroom, but we all know, everyone acknowledges, we have to -- we have to do something. We have to act. And I hope we all agree there's a need to respond…

There is no silver bullet when it comes to curtailing gun violence, no seat belt you can put on.

There is no silver bullet when it comes to pertaining gun violence, no seat belt you can put on.

There is a surprising -- so far, a surprising recurrence of suggestions that we have universal background checks. Not just close the gun show loophole, but total universal background checks, including private sales.

I have never quite heard as much talk about the need to do something about high-capacity magazines as I have heard spontaneously from every group that we have met with so far.

There is a surprising -- so far, a surprising recurrence of suggestions that we have universal background checks, not just closed the gun show loophole, but total universal background checks, including private sales.

I have never quite heard as much talk about the need to do something about high-capacity magazines as I have heard spontaneously from every group that we have met with so far.

The vice president has longstanding relationships that are always in use up here. But I think the White House is prepared to pivot very quickly into the next battle.

The president asked me to convene this meeting with you and we`ll be talking with others as well, because we have to have a comprehensive way in which to respond to the mass murder of our children, and we saw in Connecticut, you`re the…

I have never seen a guy so focused.

Oh, the idea he needed to go and ask where a qualified woman was, he just should have come to my house. He didn't need a binder.

When Governor Romney was asked a directed -- a question about equal pay, he started talking about binders. Whoa. The idea he had to go and ask where a qualified woman was, he just should have come to my house. He didn't need a binder.

I love my friend here. I'm not allowed to show letters but go on our Web site, he sent me two letters saying, 'By the way, can you send me some stimulus money for companies here in the state of Wisconsin?' We sent millions of dollars.

We did not pull them out.

That was exactly what we were told by the intelligence community. The intelligence community told us that. As they learned more facts about exactly what happened, they changed their assessment.

This was such a bad program and he writes me a letter saying -- writes the Department of Energy a letter saying, 'The reason we need this stimulus, it will create growth and jobs.' His words.

We weren't told they wanted more security.

It does work the same every year.

This is such a bad program and he writes me a letter saying -- writes the department of energy a letter saying the reason we need this stimulus, it will create growth and jobs. His words.

What we were told --

Leadership is not about being able to spout one-liners. It's not about being able to say 'you're fired.' It's about being able to solve problems.